I had diabetes and sky-high cholesterol, even after losing 83 pounds and working out three days a week for five years. I tried the low carb diet and it did nothing but make things worse. So I decided to give a vegan diet a try for three months. Truth is, I was actually hoping it would NOT work. I couldn't imagine life without meat, eggs, milk, cheese, etc. But after three months, my blood sugar was completely normal and my A1c's were normal, too. My doctor was blown away and so was I. I thought that being vegan would be hard and boring, but I have tried more different kinds of foods in the last year and a half than I ever did before. I have so much more energy and I can train even harder. The biggest surprise was my last visit to the eye doctor. Seems diabetes makes your lenses hold water and makes your vision worse. So now that I am no longer diabetic, my eyesight has improved drastically. Instead of a 2.0 and a 2.5 in my prescription, I have a 1.0 and a 1.5! I'm enjoying all kinds of exotic new foods (to me, anyway!), and I am so happy to have conquered diabetes. I watched my dad die a slow horrible death from complications of diabetes, and being vegan is NOTHING compared to that. I am enjoying life with my husband and my grandkids, and looking forward to being healthy and happy for however many more years God grants me.

Over the last year being Vegan has changed me in many ways. It has opened my eyes to many things I was unaware of like factory farming, the true impact on the environment, water waste, and the numerous human health benefits associated with a plan based lifestyle. On top of all this it has allowed me to focus on losing 100 pounds in that same year. The final thing being vegan has changed for me is it has pushed me to follow my passion for health, fitness & nutrition and become certified as a personal trainer and as a nutrition advisor. I have come full circle in this trek to really focus on helping people understand a plant based lifestyle through various channels like my website, blog as well as through my online and in person personal training and fitness system. It has also allowed me to get connected with companies like Fresh N Lean whom I represent and provide home delivered vegan, diabetic and nutritious weekly meals. The very best part of this journey is getting to know people like Robert Cheeke and Derek Tresize, meeting other vegans in my community and online. In 2012 I plan on taking this much further and really pushing my limits to make a full time career out of all that I have learned and pursue other education involving a plant based lifestyle and its numerous benefits! My blog and website can be seen at http://kelsprofit.webs.comKel Bartlett

For me the change to become a Vegan is something I never even considered before. I went from eating meat and dairy products in quantities to cutting it all out over night. I thought it would be alot tougher, as I thought I would miss the taste or find food boring but it's quite the opposite, I don't miss the taste at all and I am eating a wider variety of food now. I have always enjoyed all vegetables but now it's like I can really taste them and appreciate them.

I have found myself less lethargic, my girlfriend will call it laziness but I often felt sluggish but with no idea why. I am full of energy now so I can perform better in the gym and at work.

My sleep has definately improved, I used to wake up sometimes twice a night but now I'm gone once my head hits the pillow.

I know I am totally new to the vegan lifestyle but to me I think I have de a bold move in my life and I am proud of myself.

Thanks for the support and knowledge of everyone on this site

_________________"Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do."-Bruce Lee

Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.-Arnold Schwarzenegger

Love the peaceful lifestyle, lost weight, smell better, feel better, no more joint pain, no more illness, growing hair back and coming in darker, more energy, no more phlegm, no more foot odor, nails are stronger, teeth are stronger, healthier & whiter, eyesight is better, hearing is better, thinking is better, no more foggy mental thoughts, thinking is better and clearer, breathing is best ever, I can exercise again and am getting all my muscle tone back, more focused and conscious eating so I'm eating when hungry and no more emotional eating, with low fat raw vegan eating I no longer have cravings for sugar and chocolate and any other damaging addictions, no more constipation or irritable bowel syndrome or bloating, clear urine, no more need for deoderant, I also use only vegan soaps and detergents, etc. etc. I'm sure there's more....

It made me realize the impact I had on everything around me, and everyone around me. It has made such a profound change in my life because it has allowed me to be the person I am inside without worrying about the judgement of others. As I've started bodybuilding it has affected how other people view me as well. I really think being a healthy vegan gives you a glow that everyone else notices and they flock to the positivity you give off. So it has changed me and everyone around me. My best friend is vegan now and so is my mom. I really feel that doing so has saved their lives. It really allows you the strength and positivity of mind and being attained that show others what being vegan really means. Its not some snobby hippy thing anymore. Its a positive way to live and the only way people should live.

One thing that I noticed, and continue to notice, is that after a vegan meal I don't ever have that real heavy "I think I'm gonna pop" feeling. It is amazing how much easier on the body plant-based foods can be in comparison to meat and overly processed items. I think another factor in this is that I am just generally more health conscience and understand serving sizes which prevents over indulgence as well. I think most of us could probably fill several pages of things we've noticed since becoming vegan, but that's the one that stuck out to me.

Turning vegan in May 2008 changed my life completely. I had been vegetarian since 1998 when I was 12, but then in May 2008 I met my current partner. I don't think I would be vegan now if it wasn't for him, I'd never questioned my vegetarian diet before (I don't think I had met another vegan before him)

After seeing Earthlings and various other films I knew had to change my diet not just for me but for the animals and the planet. Being vegan and seeing all the propaganda that pushes meat and dairy that's 'the best' and 'essential' has made me question everything I read or hear. Not everyone is out for the better of me, certainly not big corporations.

My weight went up when I turned vegan, I found many foods i'd never tried before like houmous, couscous, tofu (in chinese takeaway), and dates. All of which I love now. My weight is now slowly going back down with a better vegan diet including more raw and less soya cheese and meat substitutes (and fries!!) and more exercise.

I wear my Vegan bodybuilding and fitness vest to the gym in the hope it will get someone to think. I love coming on forums like this one and facebook and hearing other peoples vegan experiences. It's exciting that the vegan community is growing all the time. My daughter also went vegan when I did. I'm so proud of her, she's vegan by choice now, she knows the facts and happily tells anyone that will listen long enough that she is vegan.

Aswell as our diet being kinder to the planet, it also got me and my partner looking further into other things......we are currently living in a converted double decker bus with my daughter, we power the electrics with solar, the heating and hot water with solar and a wood stove (which is also currently our only cooking appliance) , recycle, and where we can use fallen wood to power the stove. We are now striving to live a simpler/greener life in general.

Biggest change was a decrease in total body inflammation as well as major improvement in my IBS (or lack of symptoms now)!!!! I feel better overall- more energy!!!My tastes and desire for animal foods are non-existent!Can't imagine not feeling this good!

I’m a newbie vegan only been vegan since January 1st 2012; I have been vegetarian for about 10 years very occasionally eating chicken. I decided to make the change after doing some research and watching Food Inc. and forks over knives. I spent the month of December researching about veganism and I think in the past I believed that you could not be strong on a plant based diet.

I now know it simply not true and I have never felt better eating vegan, my skin has improved, I have lost weight, I am sleeping better and I feel great i have more energy than ever.

I think I have been more creative with food since changing and I seem to keep thinking of great recipes ( I say great, but they seem that way in theory but in practice will have to wait to try them!!)

I think its one of those things that continue to change people for the better.I grew up a vegetarian, and it was always for the animals. I became vegan "for good", I think around May 2007, and I have to admit I was at first worried that my energy would decrease, and I wouldn't be able to exercise like I had been. Well obviously that ended up being a total myth, and I excelled in my workouts instead. I don't think the nutritional benefits of being vegan hit me until I joined this website that September. I started learning about plant based nutrition, and different sources of protein besides soy, and then a month later I met Robert at a Veg Fest. That was a blast, especially working out at the gym, and finding a new vegan friend. Since then I continue to learn what I'm capable of as a vegan athlete, and as an influence to others. I cherish all the people I've met through this website that continue to motivate me to eat well and aspire to their levels which I may never reach, but I won't give up. Don't get me wrong, I am still a vegan for the animals, but now I'm also a vegan for me, and the great and healthy benefits this way of eating bring to my life that I can and do share with others.

_________________The devotion of thought to an honest achievement makes the achievement possible.

Either its so long ago that I can't remember, or I never noticed any changes. I was already a quasi vegetarian around the last year of my vegetarianism, but doing drugs & spiraling down. I decided to get my life in order, quit the drugs, eat better, take my supplements and become a better vegetarian. Then I discovered Veganism & never looked back. All that to say, there was so much going on as far as physical changes, that I couldn't attribute any in particular to Veganism.

What I can say is, I still feel amazing with each vegan meal I eat, each vegan product I buy, each time I do anything really that is related to animal rights. I'm part of the solution and its so uplifting, even after over 13 years.

I am not 100% vegan but with the things i have stopped eating i have seen changes.One is that i don't get gout like i use to. I have been in less pain then i was a year ago. Also i see the weight coming off a lot better then before. I do feel that i have a bit more energy. I feel that i can start to do things that i thought that i could not do before. Miguel

Once I went totally vegan (had been vegetarian for a couple years before that), it really changed my mental outlook the most. I saw the suffering all around me even more acutely than before, and it led me to question so many things! Not just about what I eat, wear, products I use, etc. but it also resulted in some larger contemplation about society in general, how we use animals, impact of diet on the planet, what's considered healthy and why, etc. And it's made living in the Midwest a lot harder, TBH.

Woop. This forum is epic! Everyone here is inspirational!I found that i felt cleaner! Less junk in gave me more energy and a clearer head!I also found that in the beginning meat eaters would just think that you would become this pasty weakling.! Lucky it wasn't the case, i am 100% fitter than i ever was on a meat diet!

Going from unhealthy vegetarian to clean-eating vegan (about a year ago) made a huge difference in my energy levels and overall physical well being. I had chronic indigestion from dairy, gluten and soy so bad that I basically had a 24-7 stomach ache. After getting off those foods I had a new found overall feeling of wellness and happiness. It was so great not to feel horrible after every meal. Plus my energy shot through the roof. My body fat quickly dropped from 18% down to 10% in a matter of a few months. Also my athletic recovery got INSANE. I no longer got sore.

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